My Harlequins are like an elegant sophisticated woman – the one you take to the posh restaurant, or the Black Tie Dinner. She would “flow” into her dress and glide across the dance floor, looking stunning. Everybody would admire her from afar, and she would smile and laugh as they plucked up the courage to stutter a few words.

However, once you get home, you go to your separate bedrooms, and her door closes with a “click”.

On the other hand, if GSC was a woman, you might not take her to the posh restaurant (KFC more likely), and she might not turn heads at the Black Tie Dinner (well, she might, but it would be for different reasons). But when you got home…….well, she would probably bring a friend, and you would wake up next morning (maybe), sore, dehydrated and traumatised by what happened ……. but you would be looking forward to next time.

So, anyway……. where was I?

I’ve spent the weekend reading the codex, and I dug over 200 GSC models out the garage. I played them in 7th, but I shelved them when Harlies came out in the Index. Time to come home to the Cult!

First off, the Codex is extraordinary. I’ve never read a codex with such depth. There are so many layers of complexity, and overlapping buffs and effects it makes my head hurt. It’s going to be a very steep learning curve (even more so than Harlies), and the difference between a good GCS player that remembers and deploys all the twists and tricks, and an average one who doesn’t, will be immense. It’s a bit daunting to be honest ……. for the first time ever, I’m wondering whether I’m clever enough to run this army!

Some initial thoughts (IMO there is too much in the Codex to do a meaningful review without playing at least a dozen games).

You’re going to need a lot of CPs to make a list work. You’ll probably want to spend up to 6 CPs before the game even starts (extra Warlord Traits, Vigilus Detachments, extra relics etc). And there are some very powerful Strategems (Agents of Vect for 3CPs, A Perfect Ambush, which in effect allows you to roll 3d6 for a charge from deep strike, 3 CPs to make Abberants fight again, etc).

Some of the Characters are outstanding. Expect to see at least 2 Kellermorphs in most lists. He can target characters, has 6 S4 AP-1, D2 shots is BS2+, and every hit allows him to roll another dice to hit – so he’s getting about 9-10 hits, doing around 5 wounds to a T4 character, and causing 4-6 points of damage (assuring a 3+ save and a 4++ invulnerable). Oh, and there’s a Strat that lets him shoot twice….!

The Clamavus gives characters +1 to their charge roll. Combine that with The Cult of the Four Armed Emperor (another +1 to Charge), and thatâ€™s a 7â€ charge out of deep strike, which you can re-roll within 6â€ of an Acolyte Iconward from a Deliverance Broodsurge detachment.

The Patriarch is an absolute Monster, that can be buffed to power levels that would embarrass a Primarch (S11, T8 with 9 attacks hitting on 2s, rerolling 1s, rerolling wounds and doing d3+1 damage, or 4 straight damage on a 6 to wound!!)

With an Abominant within 6”, and using a Strat, Aberants can generate a silly number of attacks with their Power Picks. The Abominant makes 6s explode. The Strat makes them explode again, and if you’re attacking Imperium units 5s also explode (4s, 5s, and 6s if you’re attacking Mechanicus units). For every Power Pick Attack they get an attack with their Rending Claws … which also explode! So a unit of 6 Aberants attacking Space Marines, within 6” of an Abominant, triggering the Strat, get 12 Power Pick attacks, 4 of which explode (two 6s and two 5s) generating an extra 6 attacks for a total of 18 attacks. They then swing with their claws 18 times, generating another 9 attacks from exploding 5s and 6s, for a total of 27 claw attacks, or 45 attacks in total ….. from 6 guys!. Oh and for another 3CPs they can do it all again….!

Oh, and that unit of Aberants can come out of Deep Strike with a 7â€ charge on 3d6….!

A unit of 20 Acolyte Hybrids with 8 Rock Saws (around 230pts) can easily tear down a Castellan in combat, again with the correct buffs, and again, comes out of deep strike with a 7â€ charge on 3d6 …. which it can re-roll!

For 75pts, 5 Atalan Jackals (the bikes) can throw 5 Demolition Charges (5d6 shots, S8 AP-3, d3D), hitting on 2s (re-rolling 1s) with a +1 to wound (re-rolling 1s), and then move 14â€ after throwing the Demo Charge. To be fair that requres a Jackal Alphus (+1 to hit), a Primus (rerolling 1s to wound), a Kellermorph (re-rolling 1st to hit if he wounds the target) and 2 Strats (throwing 5 Demo Charges, +1 to hit and +1 to wound, and then the 14â€ move) to pull off … but it would be a great way to kill a flyer!